1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to an electronic and film camera which combines the features of traditional, instant and electronic image capture. More particularly, the invention relates to a camera in which images are stored on negative film and in an electronic memory where the density or resolution of the images stored electronically can be selected, the images are stored in a segmented stack memory allowing variable density images to be interleaved, the stored images can be immediately viewed on a liquid crystal display, and which has a high resolution mode in which all the light from the source falls on the negative film.
2. Description of the Related Art
Today there are four predominant forms of image capture and storage: 1) traditional silver-halide image capture on a negative, 2) instant photography directly onto a photographic print, 3) electronic image capture onto a CCD array, and 4) photo CD on a polycarbonate disc.
Each form has its own distinct advantages and disadvantages. For instance, traditional image capture on silver-halide negatives offers the highest quality and highest degree of pixel resolution but the negatives take time to develop and process, and storage and viewing are cumbersome. Instant photography, on the other hand, offers the convenience of real-time viewing, but with poor image quality, poor resolution and cumbersome means of storage. Electronic image capture does not have the image resolution of silver-halide negatives and is more costly at present, but offers improved means of storing images and an efficient means of transferring image data to other means of display. Photo CD presently tries to capture the benefits of silver-halide image capture, electronic manipulation of image data, and image transfer as well as a superior means of storage and viewing through the CD player or thermal prints. The predominant shortcomings of the Photo CD System are the length of time it takes to preview an image, the cost of a dual media of storage (one must print images on paper prior to preview--negative and printing costs alone equal the cost of a CD and the transferal process), and the rather cumbersome customer interface.
Polaroid, Sony, and Kodak have all developed products in these areas. Polaroid Achieva's mechanical storage (a physical stack of prints) enables consumers to view instant photographs at their convenience instead of immediately after the pictures are taken. The Sony Camcorder has a liquid crystal display (LCD), not a viewfinder display of a CCD image. Kodak produces an electronic camera with an LCD and a tether line to thermal printer.
What is needed is a camera that provides the high resolution and contrast of conventional film cameras with the convenience of electronic cameras while allowing varying storage densities which match the desired output and which uses camera memory effectively as well as the instant review (or preview with respect to CD type transfer) capability of the instant cameras.